Jungle Jack's Landing

Every once in a while, I come across something that I just want to share with you, even though this is not a review blog. I'm not getting anything in return for this opinion, I just don't think that Central Ohio has discovered Jungle Jack's Landing yet!

Jungle Jack's is the new mini-amusement park at the Columbus Zoo, in between the main zoo and the water park. If you have already paid admission to one of the two parks (or gotten in with your membership), then you can stop by JJ's for a ride. There's a booth to buy individual ride tickets right as you enter that section, and rides are $1 each. Or you can do what we decided to try, which is go to the zoo with the intention of just riding rides and buy all-day-wristbands for $8. We got them for Katy, David, and Brian, but we could've gotten away with only Katy and David. Many of the rides they could ride alone, and once they had gotten their feet wet, they wanted to be big kids and go by themselves.

Once your kids are 36 inches (mine are and they are SHORT, so most 3 year olds are), there are about 5 rides that they can ride alone, like the swings, the train, the elephant ride, the tea cups, the frog hopper. There are also another 2 or 3 rides that they can ride with an adult, but they are the spin-spin-spin-spin-spin variety, and after one try, my kids went back to the easy ones.

We went on a Friday morning - both the zoo and the water park were packed, but we did not wait in line for one single ride. Most of the time, we were the only ones riding. And bonus! Your wristband also allows you to go into the main zoo and ride the boat ride in Australia, the carousel, and train ride in North America.

I feel like we got the King's Island experience without the long drive, the long lines, and the hefty pricetag. It wouldn't satisfy a teenager, but for parents of preschoolers in Central Ohio (especially if you already have a zoo pass like most people I know), it's the way to go!